The Masterminds' House
by Korikasai
Summary: A group of CEO workers visits a mysterious house in the woods. They soon discover its dangerous nature and must find a way out together. But the house is ever-changing, and death could be lurking anywhere...
1. Prologue

In a forest in the morning light, four CEO workers slept in the middle of a garden.  
One of them woke up. He got up, and turned his head to look around.  
He then stood up and went to wake the other three up.

They are workers for Mega Fighting Bots.  
They are the Focus Tester, the Advertiser, the Safety Inspector and the Cost Cutter.

The Focus Tester looked at his pocket, there was something inside it.  
He reached for it, and took the thing out.  
It was half of a letter.  
The Focus Tester waved the letter to the others.  
They go to where he is, and they all quietly read it.

" **mind if you go to their house, but just stay away from the forest. Hope to see you four at the building soon**." -Boss

Once they're done reading, the Focus Tester stuffed the letter back into his pocket.

The workers noticed a path nearby.  
They went off the garden and onto the path.  
And they began walking out of the forest.

However, their way out was blocked by a startlingly huge patch of multi-colored roses.  
The Safety Inspector looked to his right.  
There was a secret passage.  
He went into it and saw something rusty and sharp.  
It was a machete.  
He went back to where the others are and showed them the machete he found.  
The workers then walked back to where they came from.

They found out that the other way is also blocked by a small patch of multi-colored roses.  
The Safety Inspector walked to it and began cutting the roses.

When he finished cutting the roses and clear the way, the machete broke.  
They then continued walking up the path.

And at the end of the path, is a mysterious house.  
The Focus Tester opened the door and went in. The other workers went with him.  
And then the Cost Cutter closed the door.


	2. Chapter 1

After entering the house, the workers encounter a room with a door between two candle sconces. They walked up and went through the door.  
When they enter the room, they saw a bloody bear trap in the middle of it and a note on the wall.  
They all walked around the bear trap and read the note.

" **COME TO OUR ROOM** "

The note disappears.

The workers then retrace their steps and went out of the room.

However, they noticed that the entrance room has changed and expanded into a hallway.  
They turned around and the door leading to the room with the bloody bear trap is gone.  
The workers walked up to the door on the left.

They enter the room and saw a table with a diary on it.  
And next to the table is a closet with a note on it.

The Focus Tester went to the table with the Cost Cutter following him.  
He sat on the stool and read the passage in the diary.

" **We were ill, so no one hung out with us. The warden and the vice warden didn't love us.** "

The Safety Inspector noticed the closet and walked up to it.  
He read the note.

" **Opens when the house returns to normal.** "

The Advertiser looked up the window. It's pitch black outside.  
The workers then went out of the room.

They went through the hallway and enter the room on the right.  
There, they saw a desk with a journal on it.

The Advertiser went to the desk and picked up the journal.  
She opened the journal and read it. It's about a certain hunter's hunt.

* * *

 _May 1_

 _Today, I managed to bag a huge **elephant**! It wasn't easy, but I managed to bag it! It almost got me in my trunk but I dodged out of the way._

 _June 4_

 _I managed to bag a flighty lil' **deer**! Took me a while to catch up with it but with a well-placed trap, I nabbed it!_

 _July 7_

 _I almost got killed nabbing this **lion** , its lionesses saw me and tried to stop me but I got rid of them. Nobody gets in the way of my hunts._

 _August 10_

 _Now this **gorilla** was a challenge. Crafty thing. It saw every single trap I had planned out and placed and found some way to avoid them. I got fed up and sicked dogs on it, it didn't stand a chance._

 _September 15_

 _Now this is one of my best catches yet! A beautiful **tiger** that I saw whizzing through the forest, I decided to cut to the chase and hunt it down with my bare hands._  
 _It was a tough fight but I finally got it and snuff this prey out with nothing but my wits and my trusty machete._

* * *

The Advertiser closed the journal and put it back on the desk.  
When she turned around, she saw the other three attempting to open a door.  
She went up, moved the others out of her way and looked closely at the door. It seems like a password must be put in.

The Advertiser noticed a note next to the door. She went to it and read it.

" **MEMORIZE THE ORDER** "

She went to the door and entered the names of the five animals the hunter hunted: _**Elephant, Deer, Lion, Gorilla, Tiger**_.  
The door opened and the workers went in.

The room the door led to had blood stains all over the floor and walls and filled with trophies, shelves and boxes.  
When the Cost Cutter took a step forward, she and her fellow workers saw someone walking around.  
They hide behind some boxes and peek to see who it is.  
It was the spirit of Myron Van Buren, the hunter. The same hunter who wrote the journal.  
However, his skin is pure white, his eyes are red and his clothes are black, white and red. He's also holding a cane.

The workers went through the room, hiding behind objects and being silent so that Myron doesn't see or hear them.  
And eventually, they reached a hallway that leads to another room.  
There was a table, two shelves on the left and two sacks on the wall on the right as well as a door.  
They began to search the room for anything useful.  
The Safety Inspector saw something in one of the sacks.  
He reached inside and picked up a cutlass. After that, he informed the others what he found.

Just as when the Focus Tester opened the door, Myron turned around and saw them. Seems like the noises they made alerted him.  
"Whoever you are, get out of here!" He then started running towards them. The workers quickly went inside.


	3. Chapter 2

Entering the room and quickly closing the door, the workers noticed a staircase and when they look up, they also see a familiar spirit, Director D.  
He looks at them with his red eyes and then he went up the stairs. The workers run up the stairs, trying to catch up with him.  
Until they reach the top of the staircase. They then saw a hallway with a locked door at the end.

They went through the hallway and to the door. The Focus Tester saw some small text written on it.

" **FIND THE SYMBOLS AND DECODE THEM** "

They went into the first room, it's another hallway that has a security camera.  
The workers stealthily went through the hallway, trying their best not to let the camera catch them.  
When they get to the end, there was a meeting room with weapons on the walls.  
The chairs are all facing each other around the sides except the chair at the end, which is facing the wall.  
The Cost Cutter noticed some writing on the table. She went to it and read them.  
While she doesn't know what they are saying, she knows that they could be the symbols.

The workers then went out of the room, through the main hallway and into the second room, it's a small library.  
The Advertiser went to the bookshelf on the very top-left and search through it.  
She found a storybook titled " _ **Careless Carrie and the Birthday Cake**_ ". She opened the book and turned the pages.  
It looks like it was drawn with crayons.

* * *

 _The curtains open up. On the stage are a table with a cake on it and four girls standing around it, wearing birthday hats._  
 _It seems like they are having a birthday party._

 _"Happy birthday!"_  
 _"Thanks, guys!"_  
 _"For your special day...we baked a cake!"_  
 _"A cake?"_  
 _"This is not any ordinary cake..."_  
 _"There's a coin in it..."_  
 _"And if you eat the slice with the coin in it...then you'll be a happy person!"_  
 _"That sounds like fun!"_  
 _"Doesn't it?"_

 _One of the girls picked up a knife._

 _"Okay, let's divide it up!"_

 _She cut the cake into four slices._

 _"Now pick the slice you want!"_

 _"Let's eat!"_

 _The girls gradually ate the cake slices._

 _"Nom, munch..."_  
 _"Aah...!"_  
 _"What is it?"_  
 _"I think I just...swallowed something hard!"_  
 _"Ahaha! Oh you!"_  
 _"It must've been the coin!"_  
 _"What do I do...?"_  
 _"It's fine, the coin's small!"_

 _One of the girls then picked up the plate._

 _"Well, I'll clean this up now!"_

 _While walking up to the kitchen, the girl noticed her mom standing at a door that has a table next to it._

 _"What's wrong, mom?"_  
 _"Carrie, have you seen the key to the study room?"_  
 _"Eh? To the study room? Well it's always right here on this table...huh? It's the coin...the coin that should've been put in the cake...could it be that..."_  
 _"Where could it have gone? Oh, my dear will be so upset..."_  
 _"What do I do...?"_

 _Carrie unknowingly tilted the plate and the knife fell off._  
 _She turned around and saw it._

 _Holding the knife, Carrie went back to her friends._  
 _"Looks like I was careless again..."_

 _The curtains close and a slicing sound was heard._  
 _Carrie peeked through the curtains, covered in blood and holding a bloody key._  
 _"I found the keeey! I'll open the door now!"_

* * *

Once the Advertiser closed the book, the workers heard a girl's giggle somewhere.  
The Safety Inspector went to another bookshelf and found an old newspaper clipping.  
He got the others' attention and they went to his place. Then they read it together.

" **October/30 2010: Cadeau Prison Burns Down**

 **The warden Dr. Hawkins and his assistant Dr. Martin were found dead in the wreckage, two guards were also found dead.**

 **Their bodies were found to have stab wounds, and also bullet holes, so it is suspected they were murdered and the building then set aflame.**

 **Additionally, four prisoners are currently missing.** "

The Safety Inspector then put the newspaper clipping back in the bookshelf.  
The Cost Cutter noticed a mirror. She walked up to it and looked.  
All she saw was her reflection.  
But suddenly, the mirror cracked, startling her.  
She ran to the others and told them what happened.

The Focus Tester saw a small bookshelf at the top-right corner.  
He went to the bookshelf and search through it. He found a photo album.  
The Focus Tester turned the pages, it contains photos of inmates of a certain prison.  
He went to the other three and showed the album to them.

The workers proceed to leave the library.  
While leaving, blood stains appear on the right wall and on the carpet.  
Unaware of that, they went back to the main hallway.

The workers then went into the third room, a study room.  
They noticed a locked door that could be some sort of secret passage.  
The Focus Tester turned and saw a bookshelf next to a desk.  
He went to it and checked. It's missing a book. He then placed the photo album in the shelf.  
He heard the door unlocking and opening and turned around. However, when he does, he saw a spirit of an agent floating towards him.  
Looks like the door doesn't lead to a secret passage, it's actually a trap.  
The Focus Tester ran out of the room and quickly closed the door. He then turned around and saw his fellow workers.

They went back into the meeting room, again, trying not to let the security camera catch them.  
The Cost Cutter saw a note next to the symbols on the table. She went to pick it up and read it.  
She showed the note to the other workers, the note reads " **WATCH** ".  
The workers turned around and found out that the security camera was destroyed somehow.  
Three of them then ran through the hallway and through the door.  
The Focus Tester heard a chair swiveling and turned around to see what it was.  
Director D was sitting on the chair at the end of the table with arms folded and has a glass of cocktail on the table. He doesn't seemed amused.  
The Focus Tester ran through the hallway and after going through the door, he closed it.

The workers, after re-entering the main hallway, heard a door unlocking.  
They went to the door at the end of the hallway. The Focus Tester opened the door and the workers went through it.


	4. Chapter 3

What the workers saw after going through the door was a spirit of a bandit walking through a small hallway and entering another room with a staircase.  
The workers catch up with him, going through the door at the top of the staircase.

The door leads to a small room with a brightly lit, bloodstained candle adorning the rightmost side of the wall and a pool of blood pooling under it.  
The workers exited the room and entered a long hallway. While walking through it, bullets start flying at them. But the workers avoided them all.  
They went through the door at the end of the hallway.

After entering another hallway, the workers walked through it.  
The Cost Cutter noticed a jute bag.  
She went to it and looked. She saw a small tear in it.  
She looked inside and found a pistol. She picked it up and showed it to the other three.  
The Cost Cutter then handed the pistol to the Safety Inspector.

The workers have come across a very thin bridge with some sort of lever at the end of it.  
The Advertiser inspect the bridge, it's thinner that her leg.  
The workers decided not to cross the bridge as it would snap any second under their weight.

They went back through the hallway and found another room. They went inside.  
There was a garden with a burrow in the middle of it. As well as a note on the wall.  
The Focus Tester went to the note and read it.

" **DO YOU LIKE RABBITS?** "

The Focus Tester turned to the garden and nodded.

A rabbit came out of the burrow and ran to the Focus Tester.  
He picked up the rabbit and petted him. It looks like he is happy to come along.  
The workers then went out of the room and went through the hallway until they stopped at the bridge.  
The Focus Tester put down the rabbit and told him to cross the bridge to flip the switch.  
The rabbit crossed the bridge and flipped the switch. They heard an unlocking sound somewhere after that.  
The rabbit went back to the workers and the Focus Tester picked him up.  
They then went through the hallway and found yet another room.  
The Advertiser opened the door and they went through it.

The room was filled with mirrors.  
The Safety Inspector saw a note on the wall and read it.

" **SHOOT THE MIRROR IN THE MIDDLE** "

With the pistol in his hand, he told the others what the note says.  
And they began to search for the required mirror.

Eventually, they found the mirror in the middle.  
The Safety Inspector shot the mirror.  
And then the workers heard a door unlocking.  
They went to the door on the other side of the room.  
The Cost Cutter opened the door and they went through.

They entered a small room with the same diary.  
The Advertiser went to it, sat on the stool and read the passage in the diary.

" **The warden and the vice warden didn't love us. So we X them. We've been in this house ever since.** "

Not noticing the note on the wall, the workers went into the other room.

Entering the hallway, they began to walk through.  
Just then, another spirit of a bandit appeared.  
The workers turned around. And the spirit began to chase them down the hallway.  
The Safety Inspector started shooting it in order to keep it from getting them.  
And then they reach the end of the hallway, the Cost Cutter quickly opened the door and they went in.

They're now in a room with the diary on the left and some bookshelves on the right.  
The Safety Inspector went to the diary and read it.

" **When we X the warden and the vice warden, a demon came along and ate the two of them. The demon took us to this forest.**  
 **It thanked us for the meal and gave us this house. Then we became witches. The demon said,**  
 **If you let me eat more people, I'll teach you four a spell to cure your illness.** "

The Cost Cutter's at a table with a chair next to it, reading a torn-out page about magic.

" **Unlike charms cast on oneself, it is no easy task to cast spells involving two people. This is because the target of the spell needs to have sincere consent.**  
 **Thus, a bond of trust must be built for spells of this type to succeed.** "

The Advertiser's looking through the bookshelves and found a book titled " ** _Demons and Witches_** ".  
She opened the book and turned the pages.

" **Demons feed on poptropican souls. But demons are without physical form, so they cannot kill. Witches offer souls to demons. In return, demons give witches magic.**  
 **A poptropican who makes a contract with a demon is referred to as a witch.** "

The Focus Tester noticed a black cat on a chair. He told the others what he found. They go to where he is.

"Yo. Yeah, I'm here too. All in the job. You four probably shouldn't have come in here of your own accords, y'know? Well, the "witches" are gonna die soon anyway.  
Gonna be sayin' bye-bye to you soon. Cats are just so elegant. I quite like a black cat's body. It'll be a pity when you're gone. Pretty cat bodies like these ain't just lyin' around. So, need my help?"

The workers shook their heads.

"Of course. Naturally, you four can get out of this house without one bit of my assistance."

The Safety Inspector placed the now empty gun on a table and the workers went out of the room through the door on the other side.

Upon entering the small room, the Focus Tester found a note on the floor. He picked it up and read it. The others read along with him.

" **HE'S HUNGRY** "

The Cost Cutter walked up to the door on the left side of the room. She felt that something's on the other side.  
She heard owl sounds and saw a viewing window the size of her palm.  
She looked through it and saw something brown and flapping its wings, perhaps it could be the owl.

The Focus Tester petted the rabbit again. He seems really frightened.  
The Advertiser saw the Focus Tester holding the rabbit and snatched him from his hands.  
She told the Cost Cutter to move out of the way and put the rabbit in the window. It's reluctant.  
The Safety Inspector moved the Advertiser from the door and forced the rabbit through the hole.  
The Cost Cutter then went up to the door. She couldn't hear or see anything.  
The workers then went through the door.  
The room was in ruins. There's a large fissure. The floor is wet and there are smells of blood.  
Almost making them sick, the workers quickly went out of the room.

After exiting the room, the workers went through a hallway of cat statues. Grande watched them as they went through the door at the end of the hallway.


	5. Chapter 4

The workers walked up the staircase and entered the room at the top.  
They saw a spirit of a cryptid hunter who has a lightning scar on her left eye walking through the hallway and going through a door. They followed her.  
Walking through the pathway, they pass by spikes that were stained with blood. The workers entered the room at the end of the pathway.

Entering a quiet hallway, the Focus Tester saw a note on the floor. He picked it up and showed it to the other three. They then read it together.

" **FIND THE DRYAD** "

The note slipped off the Focus Tester's hand and landed on the floor.  
He told the others to split up and search through the four rooms.

The workers then began their search for the dryad.

The Focus Tester entered the room at the bottom left.  
It resembles a dressing room.  
He started searching.

The Advertiser entered the room at the top left.  
It looks like a flower room.  
When she turned, she saw a dagger on one of the tables.  
She went to it and picked it up.  
And then she started searching.

The Safety Inspector and the Cost Cutter entered the room at the right.  
It looks like a gallery for cryptids.  
The Safety Inspector noticed a door on the other side of the room.  
He went up to it and went through the door.  
Entering a small room with the diary, the Safety Inspector went to it and read it.

" **We X all the friends who came to our house after that. They were all eaten by the house. But it wasn't enough.** "

The Safety Inspector then went out of the room.  
When he did, he noticed the Cost Cutter looking at a crack on the wall.  
He went to where she is and used the cutlass on the crack.  
It creates a passage.  
The Cost Cutter watched and told the Safety Inspector if she could enter.  
The Safety Inspector nodded and told her to be careful.  
The Cost Cutter crawled through the passage.

When she got up, she looked around the room.  
It's filled with weapons.  
And when she looked at the center of the room.  
She saw the dryad.  
The dryad took off and the Cost Cutter tried to catch it, but with no luck.  
She noticed a jar on the table and grabbed it.  
When the dryad became distracted, the Cost Cutter caught it with the jar and screwed the lid on.  
She then crawled through the passage.

When she got up, she saw the Safety Inspector getting chased by a Jersey Devil statue which somehow came to life. He then stabbed the Jersey Devil.  
The Cost Cutter then went to the Safety Inspector's place and showed him the trapped dryad.  
Then they went out of the room and back into the hallway where the Advertiser was waiting for them.

The Focus Tester, fed up that he couldn't find the dryad, proceed to leave the room. But before he does that, he looked into the dresser's mirror.  
He saw a bloody reflection of himself. And when he turned around, he saw Gretchen sitting on a chair. He quickly went out of the room.

After the workers are back in the hallway, they had a conversation.  
But then the Advertiser accidentally pushed the Cost Cutter who dropped the jar.  
The jar broke, releasing the dryad. It flew out and slipped out through the wall.  
The workers then heard a door unlocking.

They went through the hallway and reached the door at the end of it.  
The Focus Tester opened the door and the workers went through it.

In the middle of the room is a statue of a woman.  
The Focus Tester went up to her. She spoke up.  
"My locket...it's not here..."  
The Cost Cutter saw the Advertiser at a door.  
It looks like she was about to pry it open with the dagger.  
The Cost Cutter ran to her and stopped her.  
The Safety Inspector saw a crack on the wall between two dark stained glass windows.  
He went up to it and created another passage.  
And then he told the others about it.  
They went to where he is and the Cost Cutter crawled through the passage.

When she got up, she saw the diary in a small room.  
She went to it and read the passage.

 **"We don't like illness. Because it keeps us from going outside. Because it made no one love us.** "

The Cost Cutter went out of the room by crawling through the passage.

The workers proceed to go back to the quiet hallway. Suddenly, they heard a loud crash.  
They went back into the hallway.

When they got back, they discovered a fireplace appeared between the two doors on the left.  
The workers walked up to it and and noticed a passageway inside the fireplace.  
They then went inside and climbed down the iron ladder.

The secret passageway lead the workers to a familiar room.  
They began to search for the locket.  
And eventually, they found it.  
They then heard someone coming down the stairs.  
The workers ran to the fireplace and climbed up the ladder.

They're back in the hallway.  
The workers went back to the room with the woman statue.  
The Focus Tester went to the statue and placed the locket on her hand.  
"...This is my...thank you."  
The workers then heard a door unlocking.  
They walked up to the door and went through it.


	6. Chapter 5

Walking up the staircase, the workers entered a dark hallway filled with stained glass windows.  
While they were walking along, a black creature broke through one of the windows and hurryingly crawled towards them.  
But before it harms them, the spirit of the previous witch appeared in front of them to shield them.  
He reached his hand out at the creature to magically make it vanish and they both disappear.  
The workers continued to walk through the hallway and eventually, they reached a door.  
The Focus Tester opened the door and the workers went inside.

It's a small room with a locked door in the middle and four colored pedestals. Three of them have dolls of the same color.  
Three of the workers went to the three dolls. Each of the dolls told them a password.  
The red doll said, "I have the password! It's a rose, red and has a smooth stem!"  
The blue doll said, "I have the password! It's a periwinkle, blue and it looks like ferns!"  
And the yellow doll said, "I have the password! It's a sunflower, bright yellow and small!"  
It seems like the passwords are based on flowers.  
The Cost Cutter went to the door, she saw some small writing on it.

" **ONE OF THE FLOWERS IS THE TRUTH. WHAT IS IT?** "

The other three workers told her the passwords the three dolls told.  
The Cost Cutter recalled the three passwords.  
She knows that one of them is the correct one.  
She entered one of the passwords.  
The door opened and the workers went inside.

The room resembles that of a storage room.  
There's a robot sitting in the middle.  
And in front of it, was a bench with a cup of tea on it.  
The workers went to the door on the other side, but the way is blocked by creepy plants.  
Next to the door was a note. The Focus Tester went to it.

" **BIRDS EAT GREENERY** "

The workers went back to the middle of the storage and into the room on the left.  
It resembles a power room.  
There was a table with tea and cake on it.  
Four robots are sitting around the table.  
There was also a large clock at the top, four beds and a table lamp on the other side and a shelve lined with tea and canned sweets.  
The Safety Inspector noticed some bloody writing on the wall.  
He went up to it.

" **X THE FLOWERS AND YOU'LL DIE TOO** "

The workers went to each of the robots.  
"Honestly, she's such a nuisance."  
"To think! Without her, we would be the most powerful of the storage."  
"I knowww, right?"  
"Oh, won't somebody X that girl? If someone did...ah, yes. We'd share some of our wonderful power source."  
"Oh my. You've got quite big arms. Ohoho. Wouldn't it be the easiest thing to X her with your great big arms?"

The Cost Cutter found a door.  
She went inside and found the diary again.  
While approaching to it, a hole opened up in the floor.  
The Cost Cutter safely got to the diary and read it.

" **Then four people came over to play. Four cute people who work for a game.** "

She then went out of the room.  
The Advertiser noticed a door next to the table.  
When she opened the door, all she saw inside is pitch black. She closed the door.  
The workers went out of the power room.

Going across the storage, the workers enter the room on the right.  
A junkyard filled with broken machines.  
There was a table with a opened book on it. The Safety Inspector went to it and turned to the cover.  
Seems like the book is titled " _ **The Talkative Machines**_ ". He read the book.

" **The robots are powerful, and can speak. These are their characteristics.**  
 **The white robots are the most powerful of the storage. When near flowers, oddly enough, they develop nice flower scents.**  
 **The red robots are knowledgeable. But they're always lying, so be careful when conversing with them.**  
 **The yellow robots are lovely to a fault. The power source for these robots is a strong medicine that can kill or give life.** "

The workers went through the hallway. There are two cells and a note next to one of them.

" **MEDICINE** "

They went to the cell with the note. They heard some sort of robot moaning inside.  
"Wheeze...hack...cough...medicine...you...got any?"  
The workers shook their heads. The robot spit oil at them.  
The Cost Cutter saw a metal birdcage on a table next to the cell.  
She went up to it and got a closer look. A bird feebly flaps its wings.  
She tried to open the cage. It's firmly shut.  
The workers walked to the end of the hallway where the red robots are sitting.  
They went to them and asked how to X a robot.  
"You want to know how to X a robot?"  
They nodded.  
"Well, tearing the panel off and turning the robot off are both proper ways to X."  
"Um...I forgot what exactly the proper way to X is...I think it was ripping the wires."  
"Actually, none of the three ways to X are proper. You should just give up on it."  
The workers went back to the storage and to the white robot.  
"How do you do?"  
The Cost Cutter went behind the robot and flipped the power switch to OFF.  
And with a strange sound, the robot collapsed.

The workers went back to the power room and to the yellow robots.  
"I heard it! I heard her ugly sound!"  
"I heard it!" The other three robots said.  
The robots then laughed.  
"Hm? Ah yes, our promise. Here you are."  
One of the robots gave the Focus Tester a bottle of white candy-like powder.  
The workers went back to the junkyard and to the right cell.  
The robot grabbed the bars.  
"HEY! Gimme that."  
The Focus Tester put the bottle through the bars. The robot swiftly took it.  
"Ahh...aah? Wait a sec. Don't have a...! Without that...without THAT, I can't even USE this! Aaaaah...dammit..."  
The Cost Cutter turned and noticed the birdcage which has fallen over. The hinges on the door seem loose.  
She went to it and pried opened the birdcage. The bird inside it flew out.  
The workers procced to go back to the storage. But they stopped when they saw bloody writing on the wall.

" **HIDDEN IN THE DARKNESS** "

The workers went up the hallway and into a passageway.  
They went through the passageway but the Cost Cutter stopped.  
She saw a pot beside the passageway and went to it and searched through it.  
She felt something and grabbed it. She lifted her hand out of the pot and found a bottle of mandrake root.  
The Cost Cutter ran and caught up with the other three workers.

The workers are now in a room with a statue of a vampire and a table with a microscope on it. There are also two opened boxes next to the table.  
The Safety Inspector and the Advertiser went to the boxes and found two bottles of garlic extract and wilted wolfsbane respectively.  
The Focus Tester noticed a note on the wall and went up to it.

" **CURE THE VAMPIRE** "

He went to the table and sat on the stool. The others put the three bottles on the table.  
He looked through the microscope and saw vampire cells. With the three bottles and a dropper, he turned them back to healthy cells.  
The Focus Tester then filled a syringe up with the vampire cure liquid.  
He went to the vampire statue and injected it.  
"...Dear strangers, I offer my thanks."  
And the statue vanishes.  
The workers went out of the room and the passageway.  
They went into another door. It's a chamber with a rabbit burrow on the other side and a table at the bottom-left corner.  
The Safety Inspector noticed a lantern and a shrink ray gun on the table and went to the table and picked both of them up.  
He handed the shrink ray gun to the Cost Cutter.  
The workers then went out of the chamber, out of the junkyard, across the storage, into the power room and into the pitch black room.  
With the lantern, the workers went through the maze. Along the way, they've run into a statue.  
The Cost Cutter uses the shrink ray gun and the statue shrunk down.  
The workers continued going through the maze and eventually, they've found a drawer.  
The Advertiser went to the drawer, searched through it and found a jade pipe. She picked it up.  
The workers then backtrack the maze, bloodstains appearing on walls as they walked through the maze.  
However, while reaching the door, the Safety Inspector accidentally dropped the lantern, shattering it.  
The workers quickly went out of the room.

Going out of the power room, through the storage and to the junkyard, the workers went back to the right cell.  
The Advertiser toss in the pipe through the bars. The robot snapped up the pipe.  
"Ahh, yes. This is...heheh. Mine. It's mine..."  
The robot inside the cell vanished.  
The workers heard someone leaving the other cell.  
They proceed to go into the other cell but stopped when they saw more bloody writing on the wall.

" **AND AFTER I HID IT SO WELL...** "

The workers continued and went into the other cell.  
There are books on the left, a drawer and an object wrapped in cloth.  
The Advertiser went to the books and read one of them, she saw that some words are too sloppy to make out.  
The Safety Inspector went to the drawer and saw filthy sewing materials and cookware.  
The Cost Cutter went to the cloth-wrapped object and removed the cloth.  
The cloth is wrapping up a shrinking potion.  
The Focus Tester picked up the shrinking potion and the workers left the cell.

When they exit the cell, the Focus Tester saw a spirit of a lady dressed in the 1800s holding a parasol and walking to the storage.  
The workers followed her but stopped when they saw more bloody writing on the wall.

" **WON'T YOU DRINK THE POTION?** "

The workers went back to the chamber.  
The Focus Tester went to the rabbit burrow, opened the potion, scooped up some of the dirt and placed them in the potion. He then closed it.  
The workers went out of the chamber and back to the storage.  
They went through the door where the creepy plants once blocked.  
There was a sign and behind it was a hallway with spikes at the side.  
The workers went and read the sign.

" **ONLY THOSE WHO ARE SMALL CAN PASS** "

The workers then drank the potion, shrinking them.  
They went through the hallway and while walking, a corpse fell into the spikes.  
Eventually, they reached the end of the hallway and the effects of the shrinking potion wore off.  
They enter the room.

The diary was in the middle of the room with artificial roses at the sides.  
The Advertiser went to it and read it.

" **We didn't X them. Because they saved us from our illness. So we made them our 'friends.'** "

The workers went up to the door on the other side of the room.  
It was a small room wiht another door.  
They went and opened the door.  
There are shelves for medicine bottles.  
Raven was sitting on one of the shelves.  
The workers went to the shelf and the Focus Tester took a cute little bottle.  
Him and the other three workers proceed to leave until a green doll head fell from the ceiling.  
They turned around and the Advertiser picked the doll head up.  
The workers went out of the medicine room and the small rooms.

Going through the spikeless hallway, the Cost Cutter stopped and saw a door on the right.  
She walked up to it and went inside.  
There was a dusty old drawer and a headless green doll.  
The Cost Cutter went to the drawer and found up a lance. She picked it up.  
She then went to the headless doll and picked it up as well.  
Suddenly, a bunch of cockroaches fell from the ceiling and started roaming all over the floor.  
The Cost Cutter went out of the room, through the hallway and caught up with the others.

When the workers went out of the room, they noticed the storage in ruins.  
They saw Moreau sitting on the bench, drinking tea.  
The Cost Cutter gave the headless doll to the Advetiser, who combined it with the doll head.  
Two of the workers then went to the power room and the junkyard respectively.

The Cost Cutter went to the power room.  
The yellow robots who were sitting around the table were badly damaged.  
She went up to the clock which was munching on robot parts.  
Using the lance, the Cost Cutter poked the clock. It continues to munch on the robot parts.  
She backed away from it and the clock falls over.  
The Cost Cutter went out of the room.

The Safety Inspector went to the junkyard.  
He saw the red robots hanging from the ceiling.  
He approached them, one of the robots look like he could fell to the floor at any minute.  
The Safety Inspector thought he saw bloody writing on the cells as he ran passed them.  
And he went out of the room.

The workers went out of the storage.  
The Advetiser placed the green doll on the green pedestal.  
The red pedestal moved, revealing a hole.  
Knowing that something must be done first, the Focus Tester went out of the room.


	7. Chapter 6

Going through the hallway, the Focus Tester ran down the staircases and through doors.  
Until he reached the 2nd floor of the house.  
He opened the door to the library and went inside.  
Wondering what to read that might help, the Focus Tester searched through the first bookshelf.  
He found a book titled " _ **The Witch's House**_ ". He opened and turned the pages.

" **Keys do not open doors in the witch's house. Something else must serve as a key.**  
 **The form of the house changes based upon the witch's magic.**  
 **The witch's house devours poptropicans. Their souls are offered to a demon.**  
 **The witch's house is purposeful. If any spirits residing in it remain unfed to the demon, that purpose is unfulfilled.**  
 **When the witch's flowers wilt, the witch dies.**  
 **The witch's house is magic, granted to a witch by a demon.**  
 **Once the witch shows themself, the house returns to normal.** "

The Focus Tester closed the book and put it back in the bookshelf.  
He searched through the other bookshelves.  
When searching through the bookshelf on the very top-left, he noticed that the storybook has been replaced by another book.  
He opened the book and turned the pages.

" **They were four villains possessed by despair.**  
 **They perceived their despair as the reason they were not loved.**  
 **They only hoped to be loved again.**  
 **They only wished for hope to cure their despair.**  
 **What they obtained was a spell to trade bodies.**  
 **What they found were four people who did not fell into despair.** "

That's when the Focus Tester dropped the book.  
He ran out of the library, up the staircases and through doors.  
Eventually, he reached the 5th floor.  
He reunited with the other workers back in the room.  
And they descended into the hole.


	8. Chapter 7

When they came to, the workers found themselves in pitch black and there was a door with a note on it.  
The workers went to the door and read the note.

" **COME TO OUR ROOM** "

The note disappears and the door opens.  
The workers went inside.  
There was another staircase with bright light coming through the large windows and a table with a vase of roses under the middle.  
They went up the staircase and when they reached the top, there was a long hallway with bloody Xs on monochrome portraits.  
There was a door at the end of the hallway. The black cat was standing in front of the door, waiting for them.  
"Yo. I knew you four wouldn't need my help one bit. Well, the house does try to help out with all the notes and whatnot.  
Whatever bodies they've got, it's clear who the masterminds of the house is. Well, then. I'm gonna leave one step ahead of you four.  
Because "they" showed up, it looks like. And it seems the magic of the house has gone back to "them".  
Which means the magic's gonna go poof, right? If I stay here, I'm gonna vanish with it.  
...Hm? Haha. No, just 'cause we don't have physical forms doesn't make us immortal. Hm. Well. That's that.  
Good luck with the rest, my faithful witches."  
And with that, the demon leaves his host body, leaving only a black cat's corpse.  
The witches went to the door, opened it and went inside.

It was a small room.  
There was a flower-patterned floor.  
Light dimly came through the windows on the opposite wall.  
In the room's center were four bloody beds on a pink carpet as well as four toppled chairs. There were also four spilled cups.  
The witches went up to the diary and Dr. Hare read the passage in it.

" **They were sure to hear out our wish. Because they were so kind. Because they were so trusting.**  
 **When we traded bodies...you four, the CEO workers, must have been surprised. Our bodies were falling apart. They hurt all over.**  
 **We were used to them, but we suppose you couldn't take them. They must have hurt. You all cried in pain.**  
 **So then one of us gave you medicine. A throat-burning medicine. It made you unable to speak. After all, we didn't want to hear our own screams.**  
 **Since she lied that it would stop the pain, of course you would drink it. Heehee. Then we went out of this room.**  
 **In the garden, we felt the gentle breeze. Ahh...it was wonderful. Ah, that's right.**  
 **Before you four came, we gouged our eyes out. We cut off parts of our bodies. So that the CEO workers, in our bodies, would despair as they died.**  
 **Ahhh...the Focus Tester, the Advertiser, the Safety Inspector and the Cost Cutter. Our dear 'friends'.**  
 **So kind, so charming, so hopeful. And with all that, so foolish. Our dear 'friends'.** "

Suddenly, they heard the mirror of a dresser break. They turned around and they were shocked to see the workers in their bodies going up to them.  
"...ghi...thi...bha...kk..." One of the workers said.  
And with panic, the witches ran out of the room and the workers began to chase them.  
Running through the hallway, down the staircase and out of the two rooms in the first floor.  
Full of surprises and traps to slow them down. Three of the witches used their weapons to keep them from getting them.  
The former masterminds' spirits helped the witches as much as they can.  
On the way, Dr. Hare told the other three to get out of the house while he go back to the room with the closet.  
The others agreed and ran out of the house.  
Dr. Hare ran back to the room with closet, opened the closet and picked up the ray gun.  
He then ran out of the house.

Dr. Hare ran through the forest in the evening light and stopped to see another half of a letter on one of the flowers in the small garden.  
He picked up the note, took out the letter from his pocket and read both of them together.

" **Dear CEO workers, I'm sorry for yelling at you four yesterday.**  
 **There's an old legend that says four witches live in the forest, and kidnap people who get lost there.**  
 **Your friends' house is very near the forest, so...I was worried about you.**  
 **Your friends' names were Harvey, Charlotte, Crawfish and Mordred, right? I don't mind if you go to their house,**  
 **but just stay away from the forest. Hope to see you four at the building soon.** " -Boss

Dr. Hare then stuffed both letters in his pocket.  
He went back to the rose patch and reunited with his fellow witches.  
He took out the medicine bottle and poured it on the roses.  
And after that, the rose patch vanishes and the witches continued walking down the path out of the forest.


	9. Epilogue

The witches were walking down the path when they stopped and turned around to see the Focus Tester stumbling and coming closer to them.  
"Ghg...gha...hh...hh...hh...grh...zh..."  
Dr. Hare walked up to him.  
"Boy, you're stubborn."  
And he shot the Focus Tester in the eye.  
"How long are you going to chase us? You know that body won't last long."  
"...gra...uhh...uff..."  
"Hm? "Give them back"? No way. These bodies hurt much less.  
Besides, you and your fellow workers gave them to us in the first place. Why should we have to give them back? Right...Focus Tester?  
You and your fellow workers all felt so sorry for us. We couldn't even move from our beds. That's why we used our magic to trade bodies with you four.  
Just for a day? Heehee. I guess I did say that."  
"Um...Harvey? Aren't you making this too dramatic?" Binary Bard said to Dr. Hare.  
"Shush shush. It's alright." Dr. Hare replied.  
He continued his speech.  
"I was surprised you could trap us with our own power...but, to no avail. After all, it's our house, yes? It wouldn't be killing us anytime soon.  
We were all guided by the house all the way. So we were ensured to escape."  
"Harvey?" Captain Crawfish put his hand on Dr. Hare's shoulder.  
"It's getting late. We should really go."  
"But we won't know where we'll be going." Black Widow said to Captain Crawfish.  
Dr. Hare continued his speech.  
"...Still not dead? We have to applaud your tenacity. Ah, could it be...are you worried about your boss?  
Oh, I know. You, your boss and your fellow workers, Focus Tester. A CEO team. Those memories stayed in your bodies.  
He's a kind man. A boss of a game making company, isn't he? And he even sent you that letter. What a good boss.  
So then, I suppose you're worried about what'll happen when you and your fellow workers are gone?  
It'll be just fine. We'll give him the CEO workers' share of love. And we'll take their share of love, too. So..."  
He was interrupted when someone came.  
"Guys?"  
The witches turned around to see the workers' boss coming. They ran up to him.  
"Guys?! Are you four safe?! Are you four hurt anywhere?!"  
They ran to his sides.  
"Wh-what?! Why..."  
The Focus Tester started stumbling up to them.  
"Bh...bha...aa...ss...ph..phe..ee..ss..."  
The workers' boss pulled out a pistol and aimed it at the Focus Tester.  
"S-STAY AWAY, MONSTER!"  
He shot the Focus Tester twice, ultimately killing him.  
He then backed away, looked at the witches and they began walking out of the forest. Dr. Hare stopped for a second and giggled before catching up.  
The demon walked up to the Focus Tester's corpse which vanishes, along with the trail of blood. The demon then vanished as well.


End file.
